1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus for applying image data to color conversion processing, and an image processing program storage medium storing an image processing program which causes a computer to operate as the image processing apparatus when the image processing program is incorporated into the computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, in a field of the color printing, in order to verify color reproduction characteristics in the event that a color image is printed by an actual large-scale of printing machine, there are widely used printers referred to as a color proofer.
However, color reproduction characteristics of the color proofers are different every color proofer. This variation in color reproduction characteristics is an obstacle to verification of color reproduction characteristics. Further, also in individual color proofers, it is difficult to avoid occurrence of variation in color reproduction characteristics according to change with elapse.
In view of the foregoing, there are proposed various methods of confirming variations in machine type and change with elapse among the color proofers. One of the methods there is a method in which patch data for confirmation is added to color image data to print-output a color patch for confirmation in a blank area of an area in which a color image is to be printed, so that a color of the color patch is measured by a measuring instrument.
However, this method is involved in such a problem that it is difficult for a small-scale of Design Company to possess the measuring instrument, because the measuring instrument is expensive.
As a method using no measuring instrument, there is a method of confirmation in which a reference patch for confirmation is prepared beforehand, and a confirming color patch, which is added to the blank of the image, is compared with the reference patch through eyes observation. However, in case of the color proofer, in order to predict colors of the final printed matter, there is a need to output on a switching basis a plurality of sorts of color conversion LUT (Look Up Table) in accordance with a difference of color reproduction characteristics due to a sort of printing sheets and the like. For this reason, there is a problem that a difference of the color conversion LUT may change a color of a color patch to be added to a blank of an image.